• Shady areas are great places to plant shrubs.shade image by hazel proudlove from Fotolia.com
  
  Good shrubs for shade provide year-round interest. Choose shrubs that provide nectar for bees, butterflies or beneficial insects. Some shrubs provide a source of shelter or food for wildlife. Many native shrubs do all of the above. When choosing shrubs, consider the two levels of shade: full shade, where direct sunlight never reaches plants; and part-shade, where plants are in direct sunlight part of the day.
  
  

Hydrangea

• Hydrangea take a few years to establish in the garden.Hortensie image by kamie from Fotolia.com
  
  Smooth hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens) and oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) are two of the many varieties recommended as good shrubs for shade by the University of Missouri Extension. Smooth hydrangea will thrive in full or part-shade. Oakleaf hydrangea prefers part-shade, according to University of Illinois Extension. Hydrangea flowers, left uncut, will remain on the bush most of the winter. Hydrangeas prefer semi-moist and well-drained soils, according to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Hydrangea will survive in drier soil, provided there is regular irrigation during the hotter part of the summer months.
  
  

Viburnum

• Viburnum berries come in a wide array of colors.berries image by alwayspp from Fotolia.com
  
  Viburnums are native shrubs that offer fragrant flowers in the spring, and colored foliage and berries in the fall. The berries, depending on variety can be black, blue or pink, and often persist into winter if the birds don't eat them first. Arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum) and Highbush cranberry (Viburnum trilobum) are native varieties that prefer partial shade, according to the University of Missouri Extension.
  
  

Witchhazel

• Witchhazel flowers brighten up the dull winter landscape.yellow shrub in the park image by Katrina Cooper from Fotolia.com
  
  Witchhazel's are flowering shrubs that many gardeners prune to resemble a tree. The small, confetti-like flowers, which appear from fall to early spring, and range in color from yellow, to orange to red, depending on the variety. Witchhazel shrubs prefer to grow in moist soil. Common witchhazel (Hamamelis virginiana) grows in part to full shade and flowers in late fall. Choose hybrids such as 'Christmas Cheer' for December blooms and 'Arnold's Promise' for blooms in late January or early February.